Lori seeks third term as Cass County democrat offers challenge

A battle for votes in the 59th District is about to come to an end when voters make their choices on Nov. 6.Incumbent state representative Matt Lori (R) of Constantine, is determined to win his third two-year term in Lansing. If he wins, it will be his last term in the state house due to term limits.

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By Terry Katz

Sturgis Journal - Sturgis, MI

By Terry Katz

Posted Oct. 29, 2012 at 2:00 PM

By Terry Katz

Posted Oct. 29, 2012 at 2:00 PM

Michigan House of Representatives 59th District

A battle for votes in the 59th District is about to come to an end when voters make their choices on Nov. 6.

Incumbent state representative Matt Lori (R) of Constantine, is determined to win his third two-year term in Lansing. If he wins, it will be his last term in the state house due to term limits.

Challenger Mike Moroz (D) of Dowagiac is trying to gather enough votes in the 59th District to unseat Lori and take his seat in the state house of representatives for the first time.

Because of redistricting, the boundaries in the 59th District have expanded in Cass County for this election. Now, only four municipalities in Cass County are not included in the 59th District.

There are 51,720 registered voters in the newly redistricted 59th district. Of this total, Cass County has 18,648 voters while St. Joseph County has 33,072.

Lori, 55, has been a state representative since 2009. He ran for office after leaving a long career in law enforcement where he served five terms as St. Joseph County sheriff.

Today on Facebook, Lori tells his friends: “I work on legislation, do the whole ‘politics’ thing, represent constituents, and serve on the House Appropriations Committee, where I am responsible for working on the state budget.”

Lori has a lot to tell constituents about his accomplishments in office.

Lori has focused his campaign strategies on how he is protecting taxpayer’s dollars. He said he will continue to focus on job growth, adequate health care for all, strong law enforcement and excellence in education.

“Michigan families have been struggling for the past decade, and now that we have stabilized Michigan’s economy and ended the string of deficits, we are able to return unused tax money to the rightful owners,” said Lori recently.

He talked about Public Act 223 which lowered the income tax rate from 4.35 percent to 4.25 percent effective Oct. 1. PA 224 also increased the personal tax exemption from $3,700 per person to $3,950 per person.

“It’s simply common sense to give surplus taxes back to the people instead of looking for ways to spend every cent on government,” he said.

Also for the second consecutive year, a balanced state budget was finalized months before it was due.

Lori was happy to report that the Michigan House overwhelmingly approved a bill he introduced that would allow limited use of rifles for deer hunting in an area now limited to shotguns, muzzle loaders and pistols. That was in September.

House Bill 5249 would allow the use of a straight-walled pistol cartridge in rifles that can accommodate such ammunition. The pistol cartridges do not travel as far as conventional rifle rounds and pose less of a safety risk. The use of rifles in the southern part of Michigan is currently restricted because of the safety risk posed in more heavily populated areas of the state.

Page 2 of 2 - Lori said this change will bring Michigan in line with Indiana, which has already approved use of this type of ammunition for rifle hunting. “Michigan hunters would be able to safely hunt in the more populated areas of the state using rifles that accommodate the pistol cartridge instead of going to Indiana to deer hunt,” he said.

Meanwhile, Moroz has been hitting the campaign trail hard in St. Joseph County. Since August, he has been a frequent visitor at numerous municipal meetings.

Moroz, 50, describes himself as a small business owner who is independent minded, with a strong belief in middle class values, who will not be hamstrung by extreme ideology or party politics.

A 1980 graduate of Dowagiac Union High School, he is a lifelong resident of Michigan.

“I’ve owned Bock, Inc. dba Double M Painting Services, since 1998. I am president of the Underground Railroad Society of Cass County, which is currently restoring the historic Bonine House in Vandalia,” he said.

On Tuesday (Oct. 30), Moroz will participate in a Legislative Community Forum hosted by the Great Start Collaborative of Cass County along with Matt Lori. The forum will take place at Lewis Cass ISD, 61682 Dailey Road, Cassopolis.

On Halloween night, Moroz will be at the St. Joe Democratic Party office in downtown Sturgis for its open house during trick or treating.

On Nov. 2 from 4-7 p.m., Moroz will attend another “Meet Mike” open house held in the Cass County Democratic Party headquarters at 804 E. State St., Cassopolis.

From now until the Nov. 6 election, Moroz said he plans to spend every extra minute knocking on doors and introducing himself to voters.